Average Push-Ups by Age 2026
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Average Push-Ups by Age 2026
The average man aged 20-29 can do roughly 22 push-ups in one set; that drops to around 17 for men in their 30s, 14 for their 40s, and just 10 for men over 60. Women follow a similar curve: roughly 12 reps at 20-29, falling to 7 by age 50-59. A landmark 2019 JAMA Network Open study of 1,104 firefighters found that men who could do 40 or more push-ups had a 96% lower rate of cardiovascular events over 10 years compared with men who could complete fewer than 10. Push-up capacity is also a stronger predictor of heart risk than treadmill aerobic testing, according to the same research.
Push-ups require no equipment and measure upper-body muscular endurance - a quality that fades faster than most people expect. A 47-year Swedish longitudinal study published in January 2026 found that aerobic capacity and muscular power start declining as early as age 35, with the rate of decline accelerating past 45. That makes a simple push-up floor test one of the most practical checks on where your training actually stands.
This post covers 15 push-up statistics drawn from peer-reviewed research, ACSM fitness assessment norms, military standards, and population data. Whether you are a beginner building a base or a lifter using bodyweight work as a supplement to your main lifts, the numbers below give you a clear benchmark to aim for.
1. Men Aged 20-29 Average Around 22 Push-Ups Per Set
The ACSM Health-Related Physical Fitness Assessment norms place men aged 20-29 in the "needs improvement" category below 16 reps, "fair" at 17-21, and "good" at 22-28, with "excellent" starting at 36+. The population average for this age band clusters around 22 reps - a number that reflects typical upper-body endurance without structured training. For context, the military minimum for the same age group sits at 42 reps in two minutes for Army recruits. That 20-rep gap between the civilian average and the entry-level military standard shows just how much training headroom most young men have. If your goal is a strong pressing foundation, tracking your push-up count over training blocks is one of the clearest ways to confirm that your bench press and overhead work are actually translating to functional endurance.
Source: ACSM Health-Related Physical Fitness Assessment Manual - Push-Up Test Norms
2. Men's Push-Up Capacity Drops by Roughly 3-5 Reps Per Decade
ACSM normative tables show a consistent step-down across age bands: men average about 22 reps in their 20s, 17 in their 30s, 14 in their 40s, and 11 in their 50s. That is a loss of 3-5 reps per decade, or roughly one rep every two to three years. The decline is not random - it mirrors the 3-8% per decade loss in skeletal muscle mass that begins around age 30. Men who strength-train consistently maintain push-up capacity well above age-matched norms, which is why tracking your rep count over months and years reveals whether your programming is actually holding off that muscle-endurance decline. For more on how upper-body strength norms shift with age, see our average bench press by age data.
Source: ACSM Push-Up Test Standards - Complete Calculators
3. Women Aged 20-29 Average Around 12 Push-Ups in Standard Position
A 2022 PMC study developing a new push-up scale for college-aged females found a mean of 9 reps (standard deviation 8.87) for full push-ups from the toes among cis-female college students. ACSM norms for women 20-29 rate "fair" at 9-13 reps and "excellent" at 33+. The gap between average and excellent is wider for women than for men, partly because women start from a lower absolute upper-body strength baseline - women's upper-body strength averages about 50% of men's at the same age. The research also found that existing ACSM push-up norms for women are based on data more than 30 years old, meaning the standards may not reflect current fitness levels in younger women. Updated norms from this study suggest a mean of 9 standard-position reps is a reasonable benchmark for untrained college-aged women.
Source: Development of a Standard Push-up Scale for College-Aged Females - PMC (2022)
4. Men Who Can Do 40+ Push-Ups Have a 96% Lower Cardiovascular Event Rate
This is the most striking push-up statistic in the research literature. A 10-year prospective study of 1,104 active male firefighters (average age 40 at baseline) published in JAMA Network Open in 2019 found that men completing 40 or more push-ups at baseline had a 96% lower incidence of cardiovascular events - including heart attack and heart failure - compared with men completing fewer than 10. Of the 37 cardiovascular events recorded over the follow-up period, nearly all occurred in men who did 40 or fewer push-ups at baseline. Critically, push-up capacity outperformed submaximal treadmill testing as a predictor of future cardiac risk. The Harvard research team noted push-up capacity may serve as a low-cost screening tool in virtually any setting.
5. Completing 11 or More Push-Ups Already Signals Lower Cardiac Risk
The same JAMA 2019 study found that the cardiovascular risk benefit was not limited to the 40+ group. Men completing 11 or more push-ups showed significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular events compared with men stuck below 10. The risk reduction was dose-dependent: each higher category of push-up capacity (10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40+) corresponded to progressively lower cardiac event rates. This means even getting from zero-to-ten reps carries measurable health value. For lifters, this underscores why tracking volume in bodyweight pressing - not just barbell work - matters. Progressive overload principles that work for the bench press and squat apply equally to push-ups: small, consistent increases compound into major fitness gains.
6. Push-Up Capacity Beats Treadmill Testing as a Heart-Risk Predictor
The JAMA 2019 firefighter cohort study directly compared push-up capacity against submaximal treadmill exercise tolerance as a predictor of cardiovascular disease. Push-up capacity was the stronger predictor. This finding matters beyond academic interest: a push-up test costs nothing, requires no equipment, and takes under two minutes to administer. The treadmill test it outperformed requires a facility, clinician oversight, and specialized equipment. The researchers noted this was the first study ever to report an association between push-up capacity and subsequent cardiovascular disease outcomes in any population. For gym-goers, it validates the push-up as a genuine functional fitness metric - not just a warm-up drill.
7. Push-Ups and Low-Load Bench Press Produce Similar Muscle Hypertrophy
A 2018 study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation compared 8 weeks of push-up training at 40% of 1RM versus bench press training at the same relative load in untrained men. Both groups trained twice per week. Pectoralis major thickness and triceps brachii thickness increased equally in both groups, and 1RM bench press strength improved by roughly the same margin. The push-up group went from a mean 1RM of 61.1 kg to 64.2 kg; the bench group from 60.0 kg to 65.0 kg - not a statistically significant difference. The study confirms that progressive push-up training is a legitimate hypertrophy tool, not a consolation for people without access to a gym. Volume and progressive overload matter more than the specific implement.
Source: Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain - PMC (2018)
8. Push-Ups Activate More Muscles Than Bench Press
A 2019 biomechanics study published in the Journal of Human Kinetics measured muscle activation across 8 upper-body muscles during both exercises in resistance-trained men performing bench press at 50-80% 1RM and push-ups with a weighted vest at equivalent loads. Activation was similar for the pectoralis major and triceps brachii between the two exercises. However, the push-up additionally engaged core musculature and scapular stabilizers at levels the bench press did not require. Women in particular showed higher pectoralis major and triceps activity during the push-up than during bench press. This makes the push-up a compound movement that builds pressing strength and core stability in one drill - a meaningful efficiency advantage for lifters.
Source: Comparison of Kinematics and Muscle Activation between Push-up and Bench Press - PMC (2019)
9. Fitness and Strength Begin Declining at Age 35, Not 50
A 47-year longitudinal study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in January 2026, tracked 427 participants through physical fitness evaluations at ages 16, 27, 34, 52, and 63. Aerobic capacity peaked between ages 35 and 36 and then declined at a rate of under 1% per year - but that rate more than doubled after age 45, exceeding 2% per year by age 60. Muscular power (measured by vertical jump) peaked even earlier: age 27 for men and 19 for women. The study also found that adults who became active later in life still improved physical performance by up to 10%, confirming that no age is too late to start. For push-up standards, this reinforces why the decade-by-decade ACSM norms step down as sharply as they do.
Source: A 47-year study reveals when fitness and strength start to fade - ScienceDaily (2026)
10. Skeletal Muscle Mass Falls 3-8% Per Decade After Age 30
Research published in PMC on aging and sarcopenia confirms that adults begin losing skeletal muscle mass at a rate of 3-5% per decade starting around age 30. The rate accelerates: after age 70, muscle loss increases to approximately 15% per decade, with total losses reaching up to 50% of peak mass by the eighth decade of life. Muscle strength declines faster than mass - estimated at 12-15% per decade after age 50. Because push-up capacity is a direct expression of upper-body muscular endurance, the ACSM norms' step-down of 3-5 reps per decade almost exactly mirrors the underlying physiology of muscle loss. Resistance training - including push-up progression - is one of the few evidence-based tools that slows this trajectory. Our muscle loss and aging statistics cover this data in full.
Source: Sarcopenia: The Complete Guide to Age-Related Muscle Loss - BodySpec
11. The US Army Requires 42 Push-Ups in Two Minutes for Entry
The US Army Fitness Test (AFT) uses hand-release push-ups as one of five scored events. Recruits must score a minimum of 60 points per event to pass. For male recruits aged 17-21, 42 hand-release push-ups in two minutes earns a minimum passing score. For male soldiers aged 22-26, the minimum rises to 46. By contrast, the average civilian man in his 20s can perform around 22 push-ups total - about half the Army's baseline requirement. The US Navy physical fitness assessment requires men aged 17-19 to complete 46 push-ups in two minutes, while women in the same bracket must complete 20. Military standards provide one of the few large-scale benchmarks for push-up performance at specific ages, and they reveal a significant gap between the population average and entry-level occupational fitness.
Source: Army Fitness Test Requirements - US Army (GoArmy.com)
12. Men Over 60 Average 10 Push-Ups, Yet 10+ Is Considered "Good" for That Age
ACSM norms for men aged 60-65 place "needs improvement" below 6 reps, "fair" at 6-10, and "good" at 11-15. The population average for this group falls around 10 reps - right at the boundary between "fair" and "good." For women over 60, the average drops to around 4-5 reps, also at the low end of the "good" category for their age band. The relatively low absolute counts should not be read as low fitness: these norms account for the physiological reality of aging. A 62-year-old hitting 12 push-ups is performing in the same relative tier as a 25-year-old hitting 25. This age-relative framing matters for lifters who want to benchmark progress honestly rather than comparing themselves to norms built on younger populations.
Source: Push-Up Test Calculator - Rate Your Upper Body Strength - Topend Sports
13. Women Average Fewer Than 10 Full Push-Ups Before Training
The 2022 PMC study developing push-up norms for college-aged females recorded a mean of just 9 reps in the standard (full, toes-down) position for untrained young women. In the modified (knees-down) position, the same participants averaged 17.5 reps. The authors noted that existing fitness rating systems - built on data from the early 1990s - may systematically underrate current female push-up performance. The study recommended using a threshold of 9-12 reps for "average" in standard position for women aged 18-25. For women who train, these norms quickly become ceilings to exceed rather than targets: women who train upper-body pressing movements regularly often reach 20-30 reps within 8-12 weeks of consistent work.
Source: Development of a Standard Push-up Scale for College-Aged Females - PMC (2022)
14. Calisthenics Had Around 24.4 Million US Participants in 2017
Statista, citing Outdoor Foundation data, recorded approximately 24.45 million Americans aged 6 and older participating in calisthenics in 2017 - making it one of the most common forms of bodyweight exercise in the country. More recent Google Trends data shows search interest in "calisthenics" peaked at a score of 94 out of 100 in September 2025, indicating that participation has continued to grow well past the 2017 baseline. Push-ups are the single most commonly performed calisthenic movement, practiced across military, school PE, sports conditioning, and home-workout contexts. The low barrier to entry - no equipment, no gym, no cost - explains why push-up capacity remains one of the most universally tracked fitness metrics in the world.
Source: Calisthenics Number of Participants US - Statista (via Statinvestor)
15. Push-Up Training Can Increase Triceps and Chest Thickness in 8 Weeks
The 2018 push-up vs. bench press hypertrophy study tracked muscle thickness via ultrasound at baseline and after 8 weeks of twice-weekly training. The push-up group saw triceps brachii thickness increase from 27.7 mm to 30.4 mm - a gain of approximately 2.7 mm or roughly 10%. Pectoralis major thickness grew from 17.0 mm to 20.8 mm - a gain of 3.8 mm or approximately 22%. These results came from an 8-week protocol at only twice-weekly frequency. Extrapolated over a full training year, consistent progressive push-up overload - adding reps, elevating feet, or adding a weight vest - compounds into substantial structural change. This is the same logic that drives progressive overload in any strength program.
Source: Low-load bench press and push-up induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain - PMC (2018)
16. "Good" Push-Up Standards Require 22+ Reps for Men in Their 20s and 15+ at 40
ACSM's age-adjusted push-up table classifies performance tiers for men as follows: ages 20-29, "good" is 22-28 reps; ages 30-39, "good" is 17-21 reps; ages 40-49, "good" is 13-16 reps; ages 50-59, "good" is 10-12 reps; ages 60-65, "good" is 11-15 reps. For women: ages 20-29, "good" is 15-20 reps; ages 30-39, "good" is 13-19 reps; ages 40-49, "good" is 11-14 reps; ages 50-59, "good" is 7-10 reps. Across every age band, landing in the "good" tier puts you ahead of most age-matched peers. The "excellent" threshold - 36+ reps for men aged 20-29, 33+ for women aged 20-29 - is achievable with 8-12 weeks of focused progressive training from an average baseline.
Source: Sport Science Insider - The Push Up Test Protocol & Normative Values
17. Physical Activity Levels Drop Sharply at Age 60, Reducing Push-Up Maintenance
CDC physical activity data shows that only 27.2% of adults aged 65 and older meet federal guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity. Among adults aged 18-64, the rate is about 24.2%. The drop in structured resistance training after retirement age partly explains why push-up norms fall steeply past age 60 - not just because of physiological aging, but because of reduced training frequency. Adults who maintain structured resistance training programs retain push-up capacity far above their age-group averages. This makes the 60+ ACSM norms look like a floor for untrained adults rather than a target for anyone actively lifting.
Source: Physical Activity Guidelines - CDC (2023)
What Push-Up Data Tells Us About Functional Fitness
These 17 statistics tell a consistent story. Push-up capacity tracks with age in a predictable, physiology-driven curve. Average reps fall by 3-5 per decade for men and 3-4 per decade for women. The decline accelerates after 45, mirroring the underlying muscle-mass losses documented in sarcopenia research. Yet the performance floor remains far below what structured training can achieve at any age - even adults who take up resistance training in their 50s improve physical performance by up to 10%.
The cardiovascular data is the most striking finding. Push-up capacity outperforms treadmill testing as a predictor of 10-year cardiovascular events - and the benefit kicks in as low as 11 reps. Every rep above that baseline reduces risk. That makes consistent upper-body training a direct investment in long-term heart health, not just aesthetics or strength sports performance.
The muscle hypertrophy data rounds out the picture. Push-up training at a matched load produces the same chest and triceps gains as low-load bench press. Progressive overload works whether the implement is a barbell or your own bodyweight. The limiting factor is nearly always tracking - knowing your current rep max, applying consistent progressive overload, and recording how your numbers change over time. As strength standards across all major lifts show, the lifters who improve most reliably are the ones who track most rigorously.
Push-up capacity is simultaneously a fitness benchmark, a cardiovascular health marker, and a measurable training variable - and tracking it over time is one of the simplest proofs that your programming is working.
Track Your Push-Up Progress with Gainwise
Push-ups are easy to add to any lifting session, but only useful if you track the reps consistently. A strength tracker that logs your bodyweight sets alongside your barbell work lets you spot trends across weeks - whether you are adding reps at the same bodyweight, holding capacity steady while gaining mass, or losing endurance between training blocks.
Gainwise tracks every set including bodyweight exercises, monitors volume and progressive overload across movements, and gives you a hands-free way to log reps during a set using on-device voice. Your entire training history - every push-up rep, every barbell session - is always yours, safe, and exportable.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many push-ups should a 30-year-old man be able to do?
According to ACSM norms, a man aged 30-39 who can do 17-21 push-ups rates as "fair," and 22-28 reps rates as "good." Fewer than 10 is considered "needs improvement" for this age group. The 40+ threshold linked to significantly lower cardiovascular disease risk in the 2019 JAMA Network Open study provides a strong performance target for men in their 30s.
How many push-ups is average for a woman?
ACSM norms rate 9-13 push-ups as "fair" for women aged 20-29. A 2022 PMC study found that untrained college-aged women average around 9 full (standard-position) push-ups. Women in their 30s average slightly fewer, with "fair" placed at 8-12 reps. As with men, regular training quickly moves performance above these averages.
Do push-ups really predict heart health?
Yes, based on one major study. A 2019 prospective study of 1,104 male firefighters published in JAMA Network Open found that men completing 40+ push-ups had a 96% lower rate of cardiovascular events over 10 years compared to men completing fewer than 10. Push-up capacity was also a stronger predictor than submaximal treadmill testing. The study population was occupationally active men, so results may not directly apply to sedentary adults or women.
At what age do push-up numbers start declining?
The ACSM norms reflect a consistent drop starting in the 30s: about 3-5 reps per decade for men and 3-4 reps per decade for women. A 47-year longitudinal study published in 2026 found that muscular power (which drives push-up capacity) peaks as early as age 27 for men and 19 for women, then begins a slow decline that accelerates after 45. Regular resistance training slows this decline significantly.
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